Four games in six days, three wins. Not all that bad, except the Thunder won the games they absolutely should, and lost a home game against the only good team.

It still feels like there’s a palpable level of anxiety circling the fanbase, but Oklahoma City has won four of five since dropping three straight. The Thunder’s last four losses have been to highly seeded playoff teams. And every game has been decided by two possessions or less.

The Thunder have absolutely been a bit inconsistent with their play since the All-Star break, with wins even leaving an odd taste in fans’ mouths. Plus the fact that they may potentially blow the No. 1 seed in the West is upsetting. But the reality is that it’s the stretch run of the season and OKC is technically in first place and definitely primed as one of the four likely contenders for an NBA title. Should we really all be that upset? Nervous, anxious, tense… yes. But this team is good. It’s just a question of if they’re good enough.

Now to the rankings:

1. Kevin Durant (Last week: 1)

KD will say he doesn’t care about things like the scoring title or MVP, and while he probably really doesn’t, I’m sure those are nice things he’d be excited if they came his way in the next two weeks. He has two scoring titles already, but winning again this season means he would have three straight something only George Mikan, Neil Johnston, Wilt Chamberlain, Bob McAdoo, George Gervin and Michael Jordan have done. Nobody has three-peated with scoring titles since MJ in 1998. So that would be pretty cool. KD’s currently at 27.8 while Kobe is sitting at 28.1 (actually 28.07). If Kobe stays at 28.1 — which he might as he hasn’t played the last five games — KD would need to average 31 points per game over his final six to overtake that. Completely doable, I’d say.

As for the MVP, there will be more time to make cases, but it’s a bit frustrating when people act like LeBron obviously is the MVP. What makes it so? KD’s team has a better record and their stats — outside of PER and assists — aren’t all that different. I’ve had a lot of people say, “Yeah, but KD’s turnovers…” Did you know LeBron averaged 3.4 a game to KD’s 3.7? Not that striking of a difference, huh? LeBron has been a better defender, I’ll grant that, but there isn’t some chasm of separation in that area. KD is a really solid on-ball defender. He just hasn’t built the reputation LeBron has for it.

I still think the MVP is up in the air. People are going to lean LeBron’s way because it seems like you’ll be labeled a basketball idiot and have a scarlet “KD” branded on your chest if you don’t, but I don’t think this race is as cut and dry as some make it out to be.

2. Russell Westbrook (Last week: 2)

A return to the normal consistency from Westbrook as he averaged 25.7 points and nearly six assists last week. Only one game he really struggled, and wouldn’t you know it, it was the game OKC lost. To make up for it, he decided to levitate in front of 19,000 people.

And check his per 36 stats for the week: 32 points, six rebounds, seven assists and 46.2 percent from the field. Pret-tay, pret-tay good.

Also, I really liked what Rick Adelman said after the Wolves game against OKC about Westbrook: “Everybody doesn’t have to be John Stockton,” he said. “If they’re really down on him, he can come over here. I’ll let him play.”

3.Serge Ibaka (Last week: 3)

This blocked shots thing is getting kind of ridiculous. Ibaka is averaging 5.3 a game in April, and that’s in just 24.9 minutes a game! He routinely turns in four, five or six block shots a night, most of the time picking up three within the first five minutes of a game. Ibaka completely changes the look of OKC’s interior defense because teams absolutely hesitate to attack with him patrolling the paint.

One thing though that has dipped for Ibaka is his rebounding. He was a terror on the glass in March, but is only averaging 5.9 in April. That’s right, he almost averages more blocks than rebounds. He picked up his first double-digit rebounding game in more than two weeks against the Wolves. But with his consistent scoring, improving rebounding and shot-blocking, is he a candidate to average 10-10-4 next season? Is it really possible?

4. Thabo Sefolosha (Last week: 6)

His perimeter defense has completely returned as he showcased against Monta Ellis in Milwaukee. But he’s also back to shooting the ball a bit. Last week he hit 6-of-12 from 3 and averaged 8.0 a game. Anything extra Thabo provides offensively, especially 3s, make the Thunder so much more dangerous.

5. Nick Collison (Last week: 4)

If the Thunder were to somehow lock up the No. 1 seed with a game or two to play, what I would like to see is a night of trying to pad Collison’s stats. Wouldn’t that be fun? Feed Collison the ball like he was the featured star, let him work in the post, shoot jumpers, whatever. He’s sacrificed stats for this team for a long time, so why not throw him a bone and let him throwback like he was in Allen Fieldhouse with Keith Langford and Kirk Hinrich.

6. James Harden (Last week: 5)

Harden had restored his consistent, efficient bench scoring with 16 against Milwaukee and 17 against the Clippers, but then he sat against the Kings and scored six on 1-of-11 shooting against the Wolves. Also, he hasn’t scored 20 points yet in April, with the most this month being 17. I’m not saying there’s cause for concern, I’m just saying Harden hasn’t played as well as he’s capable lately.

7. Kendrick Perkins (Last week: 7)

Take away the game against Chicago April 1, and Perk has averaged 8.2 rebounds a game this month. He’s become a bit more of an offensive threat with his catching, dunking and big-to-big passing with Ibaka and has of course played quality interior defense. The thing with Perk is that he really should play more of a specialized role of defending bigs and playing in more matchup situations, but I do think he’s rounding into his best form for playoff time.

8. Derek Fisher: (Last week: 8)

OK, we need to talk about this. Fisher had his best game against the Kings, scoring 14 on 6-8 shooting. I think he’s breaking out of that shooting funk he was stuck in. He looks like he’s fitting in better, gelling with the second unit and finding his place.

But he’s playing way too freaking much. Scott Brooks said the night Fisher was signed that he’d play “13-20 minutes a night” backing up Westbrook. Well, he’s averaging better than 20 minutes a game with the Thunder, and has only played less than 15 once. And he doesn’t really back up Westbrook. He’s essentially become the new off guard in OKC’s smallball lineup. Harden is really the Thunder’s backup point guard.

I was fully on board with the Fisher signing when it appeared he’d basically be taking over the exact role Reggie Jackson had been playing. But Brooks is in love with Fisher for some reason. I just don’t see why Daequan Cook’s minutes are being slashed so drastically when he makes so much more sense in those smallball lineups. It’s not hard to picture a playoff game where Fisher inexplicably plays 35 minutes as we all watch Cook and Thabo sit harmlessly on the bench. I’m just confused with Fisher’s role.

9. Nazr Mohammed (Last week: 10)

“One quiet, but very positive development over the last couple weeks has been the resurgence of Nazr Mohammed.” I typed that sentence before I went and looked at his stats for the week — 4.0 ppg, 3.6 rpg. Higher than his season averages, yes, but still nothing to get that excited about. Still, it just feels like Mohammed is playing better. It seems like he’s having more of an impact on the floor, even if he’s just getting five or six minutes a night.

10. Daequan Cook (Last week: 9)

Cook’s minutes last week: 11, 4, 24, 8. What his role is anymore, I do not know.

11. Cole Aldrich (Last week: 11)

The fact Aldrich didn’t celebrate the Thunder’s blowout of the Kings with a ceremonial dunk was one of the most disappointing moments in the season.

My biggest problem with Brooks is his tendency to go to certain players by default. The best example of that is always going to Perkins in the small-ball lineup. I agree with most people on this board, that Ibake should get more minutes playing at the 5 in the small-ball lineup. Collison as well. I like the physical presence Perk gives the Thunder, but his defense doesn't stand out enough to make up for what you lose on the offensive end, especially to finish out games. If Perkins is playing really well, or there's a certain matchup you need him for (Andrew Bynum) i'm fine with giving him minutes, but it shouldn't be by default.

It seems like Ibaka really struggles guarding stretch 4's that can shoot from the outside. Guys like Al Harrington, Matt Bonner, and Kevin Love end up getting a ton of open threes when Ibaka is guarding them. That somewhat forces Brooks to go to a small-ball lineup. If Ibaka had a low-post game, you could punish opposing teams when they go small, but that's not his game. In those situations, Brooks needs to give minutes to Ibaka at the 5, and give him a chance to show his low-post defense has improved.

In terms of Fisher playing too many minutes, that's a valid point. I don't think it makes sense to make a definitive statement that Fish should never play in the small-ball lineup. He usually elevates his games in the playoffs, and if he is hitting his shots and playing well I don't have a problem with him getting some minutes with the starters. That being said, he shouldn't get minutes by default. I agree that Cook, and Thabo should get more playing time with that unit, and there are times it really doesn't make sense to leave Fish out there (Minnesota game-he couldn't guard Barea). I just hope in the playoffs, Brooks does a better job of deviating from his pre-set player rotations and is able to be a little less predictable.

Little off topic, but the Rick Adelman quote made me think about this season Adelman will have only his SECOND losing season in 20 years!! Minus a key injury and he would be up for COY with the Wolves turnaround.

I think the man can coach and knows a little about basketball and his compliment toward Westbrook carries some weight.

I agree that the MVP race is still to be decided. The Heat have struggled down the stretch, and that will certainly play a factor. They still have to play the Celtics and Bulls, so they potentially have a couple of primetime type games that the could lose. I think a lot of people will vote for KD if the Thunder finish with the #1 seed in the West and the Heat finish #2 in the East, especially if the Thunder have a better overall record. Both LeBron and KD's stats this season are crazy good, and while LeBron's may be slightly better overall, it isn't by a large amount. This is where things like KD's clutch reputation this season, LeBron's unclutch rep, along with record and general like/dislike for the two stars will make it close finish. And if KD can catch Kobe for the scoring title, I'd say he also bags the MVP award in the process.

These final 6 games are going to decide whether we are the #1 seed or #2 seed, whether KD is #1 in the MVP race or #2 in the MVP race, and whether KD finishes #1 in the scoring title or #2 in the scoring title. Here's hoping for much more gold than silver this season.

LeBron will finish Top 3 in DPOY voting. MVP argument ender. KD is improved and underrated on that end but he's not a game changer. Not to mention this team wouldn't be 10-1 without Westbrook as Miami is without Wade. If KD goes crazy and takes over the scoring lead and the team finishes with the best record in the league...maybe.

hopefully kobe is back soon and throws up some 10 point games, to drop his average and make it easier on durant. kobe if he wants it has the advanage of his last game coming the day after our last game so he knows how many points he will need.

Two words to describe whats wrong with Harden....Derek Fisher. I'm not saying Fisher is doing anything wrong, but it seems like since Fisher has been here Harden has been running the point almost 80% of the time when those two are on the court. And since when Harden runs point it's normally a high pick and roll it makes it much easier for teams to defend. Brooks needs to switch it up more before playoffs come.

@Skyline As a longtime Rockets fan (pre-Thunder) I agree. I always thought his Xs and Os were great, and that he was usually handed a pretty bad hand when it came the health of (and attitude) of his best players.

@TempBoy Brandon My favorite part of the annual MVP argument is the numerous people who argue as though there is a well-defined, consensus definition of what the NBA MVP is. I also thought Simmons' idea of weighted (literally!) MVP award was a stupid argument in that it implied that some regular seasons are better than other regular seasons which is entirely dependent on 'drama' (tightness of the playoff seeding races, rivalries, etc.). The whole 'drama' thing is half of the debate over what MVP should mean. In any case, arguing about who the MVP will be shouldn't even be about stats, seedings or what have you, but rather how a select group of NBA observers are going to react to those things.

I agree with you. However, didn't you think that Collison did a MUCH better job on Nowitzki in the playoffs last year? There may be some matchups where he shouldn't be on the floor, probably count them on one hand.

@Thunderup_13 not buying it at all...you mean to say Fish throws off Hardens game but Dequan or Nazr don't??? Nazr sets horrible screens and Dequan stands in the corner....against the wolves james had plenty of good looks and didn't knock down any

@f5alcon@FF_pickups Comparing Irvings clutch stats with KD is like comparing a high school quarterbacks stats with a bad NFL quarterback. Irving has basically 0 pressure to perform well in endgame situations because his team sucks and he's a rookie, not to mention the fact that he's playing against much easier competition.

I didn't say that the other stats don't matter, of course they do. And in those stats, we see that KD destroys Irving by a lot. When looking at KD vs. Durant during non-clutch times, we see that they are fairly close.

As for assists, I always leave them out because they don't statistically correlate to winning. I'm sorry, they don't.

@sammasaaron "In any case, arguing about who the MVP will be shouldn't even be about stats, seedings or what have you, but rather how a select group of NBA observers are going to react to those things."

Really good post, imo. In this quote are you saying that who SHOULD be MVP isn't about 'stats, seedings or what have you' or are you saying that who WILL be MVP isn't about 'stats, seedings or what have you'

@dancassidy35 Clearly not. He's an underrated defender, very good in iso. He's also terrible at times losing track of shooters and boxing out. His defensive awareness isn't on par with LeBron's...and yes even the best have lapses.

@FF_pickups Yeah I totally agree with that. That being said, Collison is only gonna be another year older, while Ibaka will have another season of experience; the list of excuses for not playing him 30+ minutes is getting shorter and shorter.

@OBoymuzik I should have put that differently. What I meant is when we got Fisher, is when it seems like Hardens play went down. I think it goes more with the fact that Brooks is playing Fisher too many minutes, especially at SG, than it does with Fisher himself.

@FF_pickups The latter. I don't have a strong opinion on what "most valuable player" means or should mean or what the person awarded that honor should represent. Just that, in the end, what determines who receives the MVP trophy is the collective decisions of a panel of voters; the stats, stories and circumstances of each player inform the voters' decisions, but ultimately it's a subjective award and has to be considered through the lens of the individual voters and their relationship with the game. Contrast that with the scoring title, which is directly tied to a statistic. Thanks for the feedback!.

@FF_pickups@dancassidy35 hit it dead on the head. If an overpowering center is playing, then why are we small in the first place? So, as previously stated, when we play small ball, KD at the four, Ibaka at the 5 every single time.

@dancassidy35 "Maybe switch that to 60-70. There are a fair amount of centers that are too strong for Ibaka."

What my argument was that if the other team has a center who can overpower Ibaka, then we shouldn't go small ball. In other words, I don't think that it's a good idea to sub out Ibaka for Fisher. Do you disagree with that?

@dancassidy35 @FF_pickups @dollarbillrussell And its nothing against Ibaka, its just size, and body frame when it comes to that aspect. Same reason why its hard for KD to post up on true PF's when he plays the 4. Same reason why KD couldn't guard Dirk, and Zbo the few times we ever tried it. Sometimes guys like Bynum, Howard, Gasols(Marc almost all the time, Pau not as much) and even though he is not taller Dejuan Blair(He is much bigger then Ibaka body size, so its like Ibaka trying to push up against a brick wall) they over power Ibaka.

I totally agree with you. Ibaka needs to be on the floor in the 4-spot nearly all of the time. We shouldn't go small against another team if it means benching Ibaka. To me, if we are going to go small, the 4-5 positions need to be Durant-Ibaka 100% of the time.

@FF_pickups That was exactly my point. Look back to the date when Fisher joined the team. I don't think its coincidence that Hardens play has gone down since then. And I fully agree that a lot depends on if harden gets the calls.

@thunderup_13 @oboymuzik Maybe I am wrong, but I think what Thunderup is getting at is that with Reggie, Harden played more off of the ball, Reggie handled the ball a lot more than Fisher. Maybe he's thinking that that has affected him in a negative way.

IMHO, I think the main problem with Harden is that a lot of his game is based off of how the game is called by the officials. Often, He's driving the lane and either finishing, getting fouled or turning the ball over. Against these playoff caliber defenses, I think he gets less calls. Which may or may not be fair.

@Thunderup_13 i do think that Fisher playing too many minutes is a problem but i don't buy that its related to james...james has been pretty inconsistent in his career so far...this year he's been much better but still pulls no shows in probably 10%-20% of games